I will get this. 16MB flash memory, nice screen, nice size, all kinds of format support, and a reasonable price. If only it had a built-in camera…

This post has nothing to do with bikes. Sorry. If you’ve been planning on surprising me with a cool gift, though, well – there you go.

Today was the last race of the 2007 Wisconsin Cup – an uphill/downhill crit in Brookfield that kicked my butt. I haven’t done much training since the state TT (plenty of fun rides with Kelley and my coworkers, though), and my top-end fitness really has taken a hit. It’s hard to believe another racing season has ended, but there’s still ‘cross to look forward to, provided I can build back some semblance of form.

Now’s a fitting time to congratulate my teammates on what has been our best year to date. So many of us reached a new level on the bike, and the quality of our friendships has continued to grow commensurately. I’m very blessed to be a member of CZ Velo.

You’d think so, given the forecast:

The Salsa is nearly complete. Yesterday, Chris Jones (the Hayz design engineer) and I began cobbling together a set of prototype mechanical disc brakes, but it turned out looking like a very heavy kluge. So, out came the cantis. Someday, we’ll return to the ‘cross brake project, but the resources just aren’t there right now. In the meantime, going with cantis allows me to use my existing ‘cross wheels – once I convert them to 135mm spacing. What you see here is a 130mm rear wheel jammed into the rear triangle – exclusively for your viewing pleasure.

The fellers at Salsa recently hooked me up with a good-guy deal on their bootyful, disc-compatible Las Cruces frameset. This weekend, I’ll dress ‘er up with some Sram Rival, FSA Wing Pro Shallow droppers, and the world’s first combination of disc brake hubs and tubular rims. Then, on Monday, the piece de resistance – prototype ‘cross disc brakes courtesy of da Hayz Krew. Note the outgoing Redline Conquest Pro below. Farewell, fair steed.